


Conversation: Optimus Prime and Scorponok

by dragonofdispair



Series: Roads [38]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-05-01
Updated: 2008-05-01
Packaged: 2018-02-26 19:29:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2663654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonofdispair/pseuds/dragonofdispair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mourning the death of ideals.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conversation: Optimus Prime and Scorponok

Optimus Prime was in mourning. Not, this time of a comrade and friend. Not even the lives of humans spent to protect their world from Optimus's enemies. Today, Optimus Prime mourned a piece of himself. The death of an ideal.

_Master?_

The unfamiliar voice that drifted into his CPU, seemingly without source, could only come from one person. Optimus had been in his truck form --wanting the privacy it allowed him. He transformed. Scorponok never seemed to understand the implied request.

"Please don't call me that, Scorponok."

For the past two years, Scorponok had never really been far away. He'd chosen to stay with Optimus. But now he could never choose to leave.

_I've always called you master._

"I never wanted this."

_I did. And it saved me from Starscream._

And that was why Optimus had done it -- accepted another's absolute slavery. He'd destroyed his morals, killed a part of himself, to allow this drone his last choice.

"I should have protected you."

_You did, Master._

"Not well enough."

Scorponok made a negatory buzz and crept closer to the dejected Optimus, chirring. _If you had failed, I would be Starscream's._

Hesitantly Optimus reached out to stroke the drone -- his drone, he thought in despair -- along his newly repaired armor panels, over where Ratchet had just finished repairing the damage inflicted by the Decepticons. By Starscream. He wasn't sure if the petting was to reassure Scorponok or himself.

They sat there for a long quiet moment. Optimus listened to Scorponok chirr, enjoying the touch as he always did. On the surface, nothing had changed.

Everything had changed. He pulled his hand away. Before he'd been certain that Scorponok was doing nothing against his own will. Now...how much of his actions were dictated to him by his command programing?

_The command link enforces obedience, nothing more._

Optimus regarded the scorpion now perched on his knee. "What?"

_It's not something we've ever told our masters -- the links enforce obedience, not loyalty. I suppose the Decepticons know that, but most don't realize how essential the difference is._

"I don't understand."

Scorponok mad a sort of disbelieving whirr sound. _I once watched a Decepticon commander get his primary energon lines sliced because he'd told his drone to protect him from any Autobot assassins he saw, but forgot to tell him to keep his optics on. My own master at the time never cared about assassins that weren't after him, so I never told him about the incident._

Optimus blinked. That was... graphic. And certainly illustrated Scorponok's point. If the command links affected a drone's thinking as much as he feared, that should not have been possible.

_The command link can't make me care either, Master. I certainly never cared when my previous masters were upset, beyond making sure I didn't get kicked._

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, Scorponok. I believe that." Optimus's optics flickered off and he bowed his head in misery. Primus! He was such a hypocrite. "I have to believe that," he whispered. Of every ideal he'd ever had, and ever compromised -- by killing in battle, by execution, by ordering assassination and bombing bases, commanding mechs to take suicidal missions and hold impossible battlefields, even because he hadn't been able protect the bystanders to his war, deciding the Allspark had to be destroyed and thus dooming his race -- that had been his highest, his last line, the one he hadn't crossed. The one he'd thought he'd never cross. Scorponok made worried chirr-click sounds.

_Starscream will bleed for forcing you to make that choice then._

The amount of sheer viciousness in those words managed to shock Optimus out of his grief, for the moment. His optics switched on and he stared incredulously. "What?"

_I might not regret your choice for myself, but... it hurt you, Master, and for that he deserves more than having his hand chewed on._

"You can't go hunting for Starscream." Even shocked as he was, Optimus was very careful not to make the statement a command that would resonate down the link.

_He's just as vulnerable in his recharge as any other mech -- the hard part will be finding the Decepticon base, and the humans are well on their way to accomplishing that. And I doubt I'd be acting alone._

Truthfully, it wasn't the thought of assassinating Starscream -- the highest ranking Decepticon on the planet -- that left Optimus speechless. That particular illusion had died before they'd left Cybertron. It wasn't that Scorponok would kill someone that coldly -- Scorponok's primary function in the past had been as an assassin and there was a long list of dead Autobots attributed to him. It was the thought that someone, anyone, would carry out such a grisly task simply because something they'd done had upset Optimus -- he shivered a bit.

_Master?_

"I don't want that. Please don't do that just for me. I shouldn't be that important."

_As you wish, Master. But you are that important. You are my Master. You are the only Master I would ever mourn._

"I shouldn't be that important. No one should be that important. Not to you. Not to anyone."

_You are that important because I chose you -- no one else could be that important because no one else is worthy of it._

"Why did you choose me. Why do you think I'm worthy. I'm not."

_I chose you because I thought you could protect me and I thought you would be a good master. I was right._

"Why?"

_Why. Why. Why. You sound like a sparkling._ Optimus couldn't help but smile a bit. He'd have to be sure he told Ratchet how similar he and Scorponok occasionally acted. _Because you let me listen to music. You didn't let Ironhide shoot me. When Cliffjumper and I were fighting you were fair. You never tried to kick me because you were angry._

"I -- none of that makes me special."

_You are special because you believe it. And I'm not the only one who thinks so -- there are others who would kill for upsetting you._

Scorponok relaxed completely against Optimus's leg. He resumed his petting and listened to the scorpion drone's quiet chirring.

Nothing had been settled. Nothing had been solved. Nothing would make the decision right. But it had been the least wrong. Optimus still mourned, but maybe one day he'd be able to accept that.

 

 

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